Rock My World
by Belle Walker
Summary: Songfic of sorts. Sara and Gil meet for the very first time, and it's not in any classroom. Originally written 2003.


"You gotta be kidding me," Sara said to Julie.

"I kid you not. Come on, girl!" Julie pleaded. "We're going to a honky tonk bar. You _have_ to wear cowboy boots!"

"No way."

"Well you can't go barefoot," Julie said. She shook the boots at Sara. "Just put them on."

"Look, Julie, I'm wearing these tight, uncomfortable jeans. I'm wearing this belt. I'm even wearing that stupid cowboy hat." Sara shook her head insistently. "But I am _not_ wearing those boots!"

Tasha smirked at her blonde twin and their brunette friend. "It's not because they're cowboy boots, Jules," she said. "It's because they're _pink_."

Julie gave an exasperated sigh and tossed her long blonde hair. "A little pink never hurt anybody!" she declared.

"It hurts _me_," Sara responded with a grin. "Look, I promise I'll wear your dorky cowboy boots, just as long as they're not pink!"

"Ugh! _Fine_." Julie rolled her eyes and tossed a pair of powder-blue boots at Sara's feet.

Sara grinned. "Thank you." She sat on Julie's bed and tugged the boots on. They were a little scuffed up, but at least they weren't pink. She stood up carefully. She was not used to wearing cowboy boots and didn't want to trip and fall.

Tasha stood between Julie and Sara in front of the full length mirror. "You gotta admit, we do look good, ladies."

Sara took in her appearance with a skeptical eye. Tasha had loaned her a tight pair of low-waist hip-hugging jeans, and Julie had paired that off with a light blue tank top and a beaded belt.

Not trusting her friends' unorthodox creativity when it came to hair and makeup, Sara had done her own, opting for blue eyeshadow that matched her shirt, and some shiny pink lip gloss. Her hair fell in natural dark waves to her shoulders.

Tasha and Julie were mirror images of each other. They wore identical black jeans, with Tasha in a tight red t-shirt and Julie in a tight pink t-shirt. Their straight blonde hair hung past their waists.

Julie pulled her brown cowboy boots off and traded them for the pink ones that Sara had refused. Tasha snatched up the boots Julie tossed aside, and shoved her feet into them.

With a satisfied grin, Tasha set a black cowboy hat on Sara's dark hair. "The guys better watch out tonight! Miss Sara is out to break a few hearts!"

"Or a few toes," Sara said, insecurely. "I hope I can dance in these things." She wiggled one foot at Tasha.

"Don't even worry about that," Julie answered. "Most of the guys there don't even know how to dance anyway."

Sara narrowed her eyes at Julie. "That's not comforting," she said with a pout.

Julie laughed and hugged her friend. "You'll be fine! I promise!"

* * *

"Why did you drag me here?" Gil looked apprehensively at the front door to Billy Bob's Honky Tonk Club.

"Because you need to loosen up," his cousin Scott answered. "And this is the best place to go if you wanna loosen up."

"I don't know about this."

Scott clapped a hand onto Gil's shoulder and steered him through the door.

The room they entered was loud, dark, and hazy. It wasn't too crowded, but fast-paced country music boomed out of many speakers lining the walls.

"I come here all the time," Scott shouted over the noise.

"That's a comforting thought," Gil mumbled to himself.

"What?" Scott said.

But something had caught Gil's attention. Scott scanned the crowd to see what Gil was staring at. "See something good?" he hollered in his cousin's ear.

"Yeah." Gil nodded with a little smile. "Beauty."

Scott finally saw what Gil saw. Three girls were standing by the bar. Scott recognized the two blonde girls, and assumed that Gil was admiring them. "Ah, the Carson twins," he said, gesturing towards them. "They come here a lot. They're the reason I like blondes," he added with a sly grin.

Gil turned to look at Scott. "Actually, I was referring to the brunette."

Scott gave Gil a skeptical look.

Gil ignored him. On impulse, he took a step forward and started through the crowd, leaving Scott behind.

* * *

"I like your boots!"

Sara turned toward the voice in her ear. "Thanks," she told the man with a smile.

He was cute, with the bluest eyes Sara had ever seen. Sara searched her mind for something to say that wasn't too dorky sounding. "I like your jacket," she said.

The guy returned her smile. "Thank you." He casually brushed at the front of the smooth brown leather with his fingers. "I stole it from my cousin."

Sara looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. Then she chuckled. "That's funny. That's a good one."

The guy gave her a shy grin and shrugged a shoulder. "It's the truth. His penance for dragging me here."

I know that feeling, Sara thought to herself. "My friends dragged me here too. I don't usually do the bar crowd thing."

Sara wondered why this nice-looking guy would bother talking to her. Usually, when someone tried to strike up a conversation with her, they were quickly frightened off by her lack of social skills.

She instantly felt that there was something about this man that set him apart from all the other men she knew. He had intelligent eyes and a charming smile, and seemed to genuinely want to converse with her.

* * *

Gil couldn't explain why, but he felt drawn to this girl. It wasn't just her loveliness that appealed to him. She had an air of honest confidence that he found to be quite rare. Gil had known a lot of shallow women in his lifetime, and this one seemed to be the exact opposite of those.

"My name is Sara," she said, politely holding out her hand.

"Gil." He shook her hand. "Pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise." Sara gave him a pretty smile. "So, Gil. Do you line dance?"

"Um, honestly," Gil began, matching her smile. "I have no idea how."

"Would you like to try?"

One look into Sara's intelligent brown eyes, and Gil found it impossible to say no. He followed Sara to a back corner of the dance floor.

They passed a table where the blonde twins were sitting. Sara took off her cowboy hat, tossed it to Julie, and shook her hair out.

Sara grinned to Gil. "I don't like that hat," was the only explanation she offered.

The DJ started up a loud, guitar-filled song.

"I love this song," Sara shouted to Gil over the music as they got into one of the lines. "It's pretty simple. Just move your feet like everyone else does."

The music settled over the casual atmosphere of the bar as Gil followed the coordinated movements of Sara's legs and feet across the floor.

_She's got a T-Top Camaro with a scoop on the hood__  
__And two big speakers blasting Johnny B. Goode__  
__Looking so sweet it oughta be a crime__  
__She plays with my heart and messes with my mind__  
__Acts like Madonna but she listens to Merle__  
__Rock my world little country girl_

_She wears snakeskin boots made by Calvin Klein__  
__And cheap sunglasses from the five and dime__  
__All the other girls in school they give her dirty looks__  
__She got an "A" in math and never cracked a book__  
__Sure looks good in her denim and pearls__  
__Rock my world little country girl_

_Rock my world__  
__Drag me out on the floor__  
__Dance with me till I can't dance anymore__  
__One-step, two-step, get in a line__  
__I gotta find a way to make you mine_

_I tell her that I love her but it ain't enough__  
__She says I got to learn to loosen up__  
__Get a little wild on Saturday night__  
__But make sure she's home before the mornin' light__  
__Sunday she's all ribbons and curls__  
__Rock my world little country girl_

Gil was proud of himself. He was a quick learner, and had no trouble keeping up with Sara.

"That was fun," he said sincerely.

As they made their way to an empty table, Sara couldn't help but laugh at the enigmatic grin on Gil's face. "Now you can tell your kids that you line danced," she said.

Gil shook his head with a little smile. "Don't have kids. I'm not even married."

Sara's mind processed this information quickly. "Oh." Boldly, she asked, "Not the settling-down type?"

Gil was not offended by her straightforwardness. He actually found it to be intriguing. "No, more like can't-find-the-right-woman type."

"Ah." Sara tactfully changed the subject. "So what line of work are you in, Gil?"

Gil's eyes lit up at the mention of work. "I'm a scientist."

"Rocket science?"

Gil chuckled self-consciously. Sara had asked that so innocently, but there was no mistaking the twinkle in her eye. He didn't want to risk grossing her out with the fascinating details of entomology.

"Nothing so glamorous," he said simply. "What about you?"

"Me?" Sara said. Her mind raced. She knew all too well the reactions of people when they found out what she did for a living. Investigating horrid crimes and dealing with dead bodies always seemed to be an automatic turn-off. "I, uh, work for the San Francisco Police Department."

"Oh, you're in law enforcement?" Gil asked.

Sara smiled a little nervously and nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"That's nice," Gil said with a smile. "Some of the best people I know are cops."

* * *

As the hours passed and the evening wore on, the bar's music changed from fast to slow. A song that Gil actually recognized started playing through the speakers.

"Would you dance with me?" he asked Sara. "I promise I won't step on your feet too many times."

Apprehension coursed through Sara's veins. She had never been a good slow dancer. "Um, sure," she answered. "But I'll probably be the one stepping on your feet," she added apologetically.

"We'll manage," was all Gil said as he took Sara into his arms. With one arm around Sara's waist, and his other hand holding hers, they swayed together through the music.

Sara felt strangely relaxed in Gil's arms. Until her pager started beeping, of course.

Thankfully, whomever had the audacity to interrupt her evening also had the decency to wait until the end of the dance. With a somewhat angry and frustrated sigh, Sara unclipped the offending object from her belt and silenced it.

"I'm sorry," she said to Gil. "It's my boss. I have to see what she wants."

"Sure," Gil answered, in complete understanding. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you." Police officers were seldom ever really off duty. They were on-call even if they weren't on duty.

"I'm really sorry," Sara said again. "I'll be right back." She stepped out the front door and pulled out her cell phone.

* * *

Gil watched Sara make her way through the crowd to the front door to make her phone call outside. He wasn't ready to let her go just yet. It wasn't every day that he found a woman who wanted to listen to him, rather than talk about herself.

Alone with his thoughts now, Gil's brain processed the evening's happenings. They had talked for hours, and this Sara was still a mystery to him. She asked how Las Vegas was, wanting to know if it was a good place to live, or if it really did uphold its flashy, sinful image.

He, in turn, learned that Sara's parents owned a Bed & Breakfast in California . Gil had honestly never been to one, and wanted to know if it was much different from a hotel.

These were not the usual conversations he had with people.

Gil sighed and leaned backwards against the bar counter with his hands in his pockets. He would wait for her.

* * *

Sara was not a happy person as she approached him a few minutes later.

"Is everything okay?" Gil asked her.

Sara shook her head sadly. "They need me at work as soon as possible."

"Oh." Gil was disappointed. He really had enjoyed her company. "Okay."

They stood there staring at each other, both unsure how to part company.

"Uh, this is a little awkward," Sara admitted with a light chuckle. She knew she would never see this wonderful man again. He was probably only in town for a short time, she told herself. Besides, they lived in completely separate states. It wasn't likely that their paths would ever cross again.

Sara decided that politeness was the best policy. She put on a brave face and held her hand out towards him. "It's been fun."

Gil squeezed her hand gently. "Yes, it has."

Another uncomfortable silence passed.

"Yeah," Sara finally said with a forced smile. "I better go. Before I get in trouble for not showing up."

Gil nodded. He watched with sad eyes as she turned and slowly walked away.

Halfway to the door, Sara stopped.

Her feet brought her back to stand directly in front of Gil. Without a word, she slowly, gently, cupped his face with her hands. Her thumbs caressed his cheeks.

Gil took in the beautiful brown eyes before him. His hands came up and rested lightly on her waist. His gaze flickered briefly from her eyes to her lips.

Gil allowed himself to lean close and touch his lips to Sara's.

A harmless little goodbye kiss. Breathtaking, nonetheless.

Sara's finger traced his lower lip. "Goodbye, Gil."

She walked away again, this time all the way to the door and out of his life.

Only after she was gone did he realize that he could've at least asked for her phone number.

* * *

"You're making me late, Julie," Sara said with irritation. "I don't want to be the last person to arrive at the seminar."

"You won't be," Julie answered with a smirk. "You'll be next to last, with me behind you."

"Whatever," Sara snapped. "Come on!"

Julie was not fazed by Sara's abruptness. "You're just cranky because you made a big mistake and said goodbye to 'Mr. Right' two days ago."

"I am _not_ cranky," Sara growled, mostly to herself.

With an obnoxious grin, Julie patted her friend's arm. "Yeah. Keep telling yourself that."

* * *

Sara dragged Julie with her to the front of the room. There were two empty seats in the very first row. Sara wanted to actually hear what the professor had to say, and she couldn't very well do that from the back of the room.

They sat down with seconds to spare. A door to the left of the podium opened, and a man appeared.

Julie glanced up at the movement. She gripped Sara's arm. "Oh my god! Sara, it's him!" Julie whispered. "It's your boyfriend from Billy Bob's bar!"

"What?" Sara stopped messing with her notebook, and looked up at the podium for the first time since entering the building.

A pair of pleasantly surprised blue eyes stared back at her.

"Oh my god," Sara whispered.

* * *

Gil almost forgot how to breathe as his eyes locked onto the brunette in the front row. Two days ago, she had stolen half his heart and then disappeared into the night. He never thought he'd see her beautiful face again.

He gave her a tentative smile, and his heart skipped a beat when she smiled back.

Gil suddenly forgot the nervousness he usually felt when speaking to a large audience. Keeping his eyes on Sara, Gil took a deep breath and started his speech.

Chocolate Grasshopper Kisses

_June 7, 2003_

Sara gets punished for eating Grissom's chocolate.

Operation Panic Attack

_June 8, 2003_

Sara and Grissom in a plot against Greg.

Rock My World

_June 14, 2003_

Sara and Gil meet for the very first time...and it's not in any classroom.

Cotton Shirts

_June 14, 2003_

Sara gives back Grissom's shirt.

Bubba's Karaoke Barn

_July 4, 2003_

The CSIs have fun at a karaoke place.

Words & Actions

_July 12, 2003_

Actions speak louder than words.

Camping Trip

_July 20, 2003_

The CSIs go camping.

Diamond Deceptions

_July 24, 2003_

Sara has a diamond ring, but who gave it to her?

Windows Through Time

_July 30, 2003_

An alternate CSI universe, from end to beginning and back again.

Busted

_August 1, 2003_

Sequel to 'Diamond Deceptions'.

Methods Of Communication

_August 23, 2003_

Casefile with GSR.

Katie

_August 25, 2003_

Sara and Grissom are reunited with a child from their past.

Baby Gossip

_September 3, 2003_

Sequel to 'Busted'.

Road Trip

_September 14, 2003_

Sequel to 'Camping Trip'.

Endings

_October 16, 2003_

Post-ep for Homebodies.

Beginnings

_November 16, 2003_

A follow-up to 'Endings'.

Lace

_December 14, 2003_

Short sequel to 'Cotton Shirts'.

Ulterior Motives

_January 24, 2004_

Grissom has his reasons for not promoting Sara.

Black Tie Affair

_November 12, 2004_

Post-ep for Formalities.


End file.
